CDC: Food Poisoning Outbreaks from Foreign Sources on the Rise

March 14, 2012 – Foodborne illnesses from products imported from foreign countries has been on the rise over the past several years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. Outbreaks caused by fish, spices, produce and other imported foodstuffs are increasing, but the countries of origin seem to be changing. Though nearly half of the cases came from food that had originated in Asia, the CDC report found that a majority of the other half of the outbreaks came from areas that hadn’t previously been associated with such diseases.

Free Food Poisoning Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been severely sickened after consuming contaminated food, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a food poisoning suit and we can help.

What’s the problem?

Of the 39 major food poisoning outbreaks reported to the CDC between 2005 and 2010:

17 occurred in 2009 and 2010

bad fish caused 17 outbreaks

spices caused 6 outbreaks

at least 2,348 illnesses were reported

45% of the cases came from food that originated in Asia

nearly 50% of the outbreaks came from countries that had not previously been linked with such illnesses.

Making matters worse, CDC officials believe the true number of outbreaks is probably much higher than reported.

“As our food supply becomes more global, people are eating foods from all over the world, potentially exposing them to germs from all corners of the world, too,” said epidemiologist and lead author Hannah Gould in a statement. “We saw an increased number of outbreaks due to imported foods during recent years, and more types of foods from more countries causing outbreaks.”

According to statistics published by the Department of Agriculture, food imports into the U.S. nearly doubled from $41 billion to $78 billion between 1998 and 2007. As much as 85% of seafood consumed in the United States comes from overseas.

Need More Info?

Click on the links below if you’d like additional information on these topics from Schmidt & Clark, LLP:

Do You Have a Food Poisoning Lawsuit?

The Food Poisoning Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in food poisoning lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Botulism cases in all 50 states.

Free Food Poisoning Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been severely sickened after eating contaminated food products, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a food poisoning suit and we can help.